The Stratosphere

High E-Flat, E, and F occupy an intimidating place in the bassoon range. I think this can be helped with some slightly off-the-beaten-path fingerings. Note that, like all extreme register fingerings, these don’t work equally well on every instrument. However, I’ve seen enough success with them, on enough different equipment, that I think they’re worth sharing.

Worth Keeping in Mind

Stiffer reedswork better in this register.

Keep your embouchure very close to the first wire, with very little overbite.

The vowel sound in your throat should be very closed (an “E” rather than an “O”).

These fingerings don’t respond well to heavy articulation—air attacks are generally best.

Your air stream requires a bit of finesse in this register—you can’t overblow.

This fingering is relatively easy to attack and can be reliably slurred to from the E-Flat fingering above.

To slur to an F, simply add the A key in the left thumb. The stiffer your reed, the more you can depress the key; with a reed that’s borderline, it’s best to barely depress the key. It cannot be articulated.